The present disclosure is related to high-pressure pumps and, more particularly, to improved segmented fluid ends for high-pressure plunger pumps.
It is common practice in the oil and gas industry to use high-pressure positive displacement or reciprocating pumps (also known as plunger pumps) in a variety of field operations relating to the exploration, preparation, and extraction of hydrocarbons. For example, plunger pumps are often used in cementing a wellbore as part of a completion operation. Plunger pumps are also used in acidizing and hydraulically fracturing subterranean formations during wellbore treatment operations. The fluid end of such pumps is the portion of the pump where a fluid is drawn in via a suction valve and subsequently discharged under pressure. Within the fluid end of a plunger pump, a plunger or piston compresses the fluid and pushes it under pressure through a discharge valve. The discharge valve is typically designed to open upon experiencing a predetermined pressure differential across the valve.
Such pumps are frequently used in pumping two-phase slurries where solid particles are suspended in a liquid (e.g., proppant suspended in a fracturing fluid). At least one problem with pumping such two-phase slurries is that the slurry oftentimes makes the fluid end susceptible to damage in the form of erosion, wear and tear, hoop stress, and fatigue. Ultimately, such damage can result in bore enlargement or cracking of the fluid end, which may decrease efficiencies or otherwise require the pump to be shut down and repaired or replaced altogether. As can be appreciated, this may prove to be quite costly and time-consuming.